Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Noutions Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Bluebell Alcock Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

Kimball Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Michael_Elliott Couch Trip, The (1988) ** (out of 4) Disappointing comedy about an escaped mental patient (Dan Aykroyd) who is mistaken for a real psychiatrist and he's asked to take over a radio station for a real doctor (Charles Grodin) who just happens to be having a nervous breakdown. The nut-case replacement becomes a hit with all of his listeners except for a homeless man (Walter Matthau) who knows the truth about him. Considering the cast you can't help but view THE COUCH TRIP as a major disappointment. I'm not sure of the history behind this film but it really does seem as if the three leads signed on to do the picture and then the script was written. Then the screenwriters, already knowing they had these comic geniuses signed on, decided to just come up with the weakest idea and try to pass it off as a story. The entire story is basically your typical mistaken identity thing but it just doesn't work in terms of laughs. You pretty much know a story is in trouble when the cast has to work so obviously hard to try and come up with some laughs. This can be seen as early as the first scene when a man is about to commit suicide and the Aykroyd character walks out onto the ledge to try and talk to him. Just watch how hard and over-the-top Aykroyd is having to act and it's because the material is so weak. All three of the actors give it their all but there's just nothing here for them to work with. Aykroyd goes over-the-top playing this madman but no laughs ever follow. Matthau plays crazy better than anyone else but it just makes you smile and never does it get a laugh. Grodin plays the same type of smug character that he's done throughout his career but it just doesn't work here. The entire film is just one bland joke after another and if it wasn't for the actors giving it their all then you would have hit the eject button after about thirty-minutes.

ccthemovieman-1 This was an 1970s-type irreverent comedy, poking fun at the psychiatric profession and at Beverly Hills. I didn't mind that but I did object to more that irreverence regarding marriage and religion: two topics which secular filmmakers (meaning about everyone in Hollywood and elsewhere) just can't stop trashing. Walter Matthau plays a scuzzy character, "Donald Becker," who walks around with a cleric's collar on, which offends me but when has Hollywood ever been worried about offending Christians?Anyway, despite that nonsense the film has its entertaining moments and even some charm to it. Dan Aykroyd is good at paying a nut-case and Donna Dixon ("Laura Rollins") is a knockout. I am sorry she didn't have a bigger role.

Boba_Fett1138 This was a good and enjoyable 'silly' comedy, that is filled with a whole bunch of crazy fun characters. A typical great '80's comedy, with also some great '80's comedy stars in it.The movie is truly uplifted by its cast. Dan Aykroyd is really great. It's funny but I don't I've ever seen him play the main character before in a comedy. I already always liked him as the sidekick but with this movie he proofs that he can also handle a comedy in which he plays the main character. The movie also further more features Charles Grodin and Walter Matthau, among others. Esepcially Charles Grodin is also great as the stressed out psychiatrist. Walter Matthau seems a bit out of place, since his character doesn't serve a significant enough purpose in the movie, comical-wise.The concept and the story show great comedy potential. An escaped 'menthal' patient takes the place of a psychiatrist. He and his radio show become an huge success. But of course soon things are starting to go crazy again when people start to see through his scam and the real psychiatrists shows up. It provides the movie with some great silly moments and some real great laughs. The movie made me laugh out loud at times, due to how silly it all became at times.But things start to get really crazy toward the ending of the movie, in a not so positive way. The movie tries to put way too much in the ending, both comically and dramatic/morally. The movie gets very crazy and unbelievable and things get rushed way too hard. Even the characters start to not work out as good anymore. The movie tries too hard but it simply fails. The ending just doesn't feel right and satisfying enough. A shame, otherwise I would had surely rated this movie higher.A movie definitely worth watching for a couple of good laughs but it just isn't the best 'silly' '80's comedy around.6/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

bob the moo A patient in a chicago physcriatric hospital is in a war with Doctor Baird. When he intercepts a call for Dr Baird to replace LA shrink Dr Maitlin in his practice and his radio show. Baird had been selected because he was inept enough not to put Maitlin in the shade. Burns escapes from the hospital, travels to LA and assumes Baird's identity to get the job. Issues are complicated when drifter Becker recognises Burns as a conman and tries to get in on the act.This is an earlier version of Dolly Parton's `Straight Talk' - a straight talker gets mistaken for a radio host, gives mad advise but the public love it. This is complicated by Matthau's conman getting involved and other little subplots. The plot doesn't always convince or hold the interest but it is quite amusing at points. The ending is pure laziness as it attempts to milk a happy ending out of unlikely circumstances.Aykroyd is well suited to his character and provides all the jokes here. Grodin and Matthau are both good but Matthau is certainly greatly underused. Really it's Aykroyd's show and everything slows down when he's not onscreen or when he's having to move the story on.Overall this is a very standard film. It's only amusing when Aykroyd is allowed free reign, for the rest of the film it's dull at times, aimless and meandering at others. Of the famous cast, this is nobody's finest hour.